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#steve loves his family
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Good People - Final Part
Part One🦇Part Two🦇Final Part
It is not often that Wayne is happy with the monotony of work. Tonight is one of those nights, if only because it allows him to think about where he went wrong speaking to Eddie. He had never meant to imply he thought Eddie was like Al; he'd meant the apple and tree comment to for Richard and Steve. However, he does acknowledge why Eddie drew the conclusion that Wayne might have thought Eddie would follow in Al's footsteps.
Wayne's being a hypocrite, applying the logic to one boy, but not the other. And even though he never, not once, thought that Eddie would become Al, he'll never be able to take that thought from Eddie's mind that he had. He can apologize until he's blue in the face, Eddie might even forgive him, but he's not sure Eddie will ever believe him. Not truly.
And how could Wayne expect him to?
No. That's a shame Wayne will take to the grave.
Next strike to Wayne's conscious; the misjudgment of Steve Harrington, and how it ties into the fact Eddie accused him of not trusting his judgement, and, moreover, Eddie being right. Wayne hadn't trusted in Eddie's trust of Steve.
He should have. It's been years since Eddie came home crying about a boy, but what father doesn't see their kid crying over their first heartbreak and doesn't grow protective? And with Eddie, it's even more terrifying. Getting mixed up with the wrong boy could mean bruised ribs, black eyes, or worse.
In a town like Hawkins, a boy would just have to claim Eddie made a sexual advance and his murder could (would) be justified.
Now add the manhunt and being suspected of murderer to that. Well, Wayne's scared for Eddie's life almost every minute of his day.
But it's no excuse. Or if it is, it's a poor one.
Wayne doesn't know the full story but he does know that Steve was with the group of people on Eddie's side; that he was there with the Henderson kid, the Buckley girl, and Nancy Wheeler, digging Eddie out of the rubble from the earthquake, getting him to the hospital as fast as they could.
Steve Harrington was part of the group that saved Eddie's life, and that should have meant more to begin with. Instead, Wayne's been waiting for a shoe to drop that very well isn't coming.
He's going to fix this.
He'll give Eddie his space to be angry with him, and he'll try again in a few days.
When Wayne gets home, around 6:30am, Eddie's van is gone. He's not surprised. He probably left shortly after Wayne did, not leaving sooner just to avoid him.
There is a note on Wayne's bed when he makes it there. Says he's at Steve, and instead of letting Wayne know when he'll return it just says the words 'be back' followed by a bunch of questions marks. He ends it with 'call if worried' and leaves a phone number that must be for the Harrington residence.
Another hurt Wayne can't blame on anyone but himself.
Wednesday passes. Wayne eats breakfast, goes grocery shopping, pretends to care about his shows before sleeping the afternoon away to prepare for another graveyard. Eddie has not returned when he wakes, and two short hours later, he's off to work.
Eddie's van remains gone.
Returns from work Thursday morning and repeats Wednesday. He replaces grocery shopping with laundry and cleaning out the leftovers for trash day tomorrow morning. Goes to work.
Friday morning he returns home. No Eddie. He waits for it to be a more appropriate time, a little before 10:00am to call the number Eddie left.
It rings, rings, rings, then, a voice he hasn't heard in years. Richard Harrington's voice sounds as cold as it always was as the answering machine recites, "You've reached the Harrington's. We are not available. Leave a message."
"This is Wayne Munson. I just wanted to make sure Eddie's- that's he's alright. Let him know that I called. Checked on him. He doesn't need to call back but I'd appreciate it."
He hangs up the phone, lump in his throat. He misses his boy, and he wants to make his right, but he can't force that. Eddie has to always want to make it okay between them.
He's usually off Fridays, but he asked to pick up a shift. He can't face Linda without having fixed this. He spends the morning and afternoon doing all the small fixes he'd been putting off. Anything to keep him busy. He goes to sleep at his usual time, and wakes up two hours before his shift like normal.
Check's his answering machine but if anyone called while he was asleep, they didn't leave a message. There's still no van when he heads to work.
The plant tells him to leave an hour early. He tries to argue to stay but he's just waved off, told to go get some sleep because he's been looking a little worse for the wear.
He gets back to Forest Hills around 5:40am and finds there is another car parked at his home. Not Eddie's van, but the sleek maroon BMW that belongs to Steve Harrington parked where the van usually is.
When he pulls into his spot, the headlights of his truck light up Steve, sitting on his steps, wrapped in a coat. It can't be more than 50℉ outside right now.
Steve stands as Wayne cuts the engine and climbs from his truck. He gets to the front of his truck and Steve speaks.
"Eddie's okay," Steve says, hands shoving deep into his pockets, "I tried to get him to call you back yesterday but, well, you know Eddie."
Wayne nods, because he does know Eddie. "I appreciate you tellin' me. But you coulda just called."
"I could have."
They look at each other for a moment, and just as Steve opens his mouth, probably to tell Wayne he's going to go, Wayne speaks first, "you wanna come inside and have a cup of coffee to warm up?"
Steve tilts his head slightly to the left before he says, "are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
"Alright," and then Steve steps away from the stairs so Wayne can climb them and let them into the trailer. Steve follows behind silently but with familiarity. He's spent so much of his time here since spring break- the shame crawls through Wayne again. He'd assumed, once upon a time, that Eddie and Steve spent more time here than at Steve's because why would Steve want the trailer park boy in his big fancy house? Now, though, he wonders if it's because this place felt more like a home, even with Wayne's cold shoulder.
Steve sits at their little kitchen table, a luxury they didn't have before because there was no room in the single wide, one bedroom they'd had before. The new double wide (with three bedrooms) offered them a bit more space for a dining area.
Wayne's still suspicious of the government's offer to replace their destroyed home, but he wasn't foolish enough to deny the offer when it was made to him by Jim Hopper (newly returned from the dead back then).
"How do you take your coffee?" Wayne asks, once the machine finishes filling the carafe.
"Oh, I can fix it-"
"Nonsense," Wayne waves him back to sitting, "just tell me."
"I like it with just enough milk to take the scalding heat out of it," Steve says, and while Wayne's not sure just how much that it, he tries anyway.
He sets a cup in front of Steve before taking a seat across from him. "I really do appreciate that you came to tell me Eddie's okay. I want to give him his space but...."
Steve sips his coffee before shooting his cup a small smile. Wayne must have got the ratio right. Then, he looks to Wayne and the smile drops, a more serious expression taking its place and he says, "Eddie wouldn't really tell me what your fight was about, other than, uh, me and that you... overheard some of what I said last time I was here. I don't, like, want to come between you and Eddie, but I'm not, I'm not going to let you scare me away. So, just tell me what I have to do to get Eddie to believe we're cool, and I'll do it. Anything, except for getting out of Eddie's life. 'Cause I won't."
"I would never ask you to do that," Wayne says. Steve squints at him, a look of suspicion now. Completely warranted, given what Steve has known of Wayne thus far. "I owe you an apology, Steve. For how I've been treatin' you."
Steve's eyes go wide, "Oh. What? Why?"
"You've been nothin' but good to Eddie. For Eddie. And I refused to see that. I made a judgment about you without knowin' anything but your name." Steve let's out a soft 'oh' at that, but Wayne plows on, "And that weren't fair, and it weren't right. I can't undo it, but I want you to know I regret it. I'm sorry."
"Okay," Steve says, after a moment. "I forgive you."
It's Wayne's turn to be surprised. He's a bit speechless. So much so, he takes a page right out of Eddie's book and asks, "are you sure?" which is a question he's never asked after having an apology accepted before, but one Eddie had asked a lot when he first came to live with Wayne, and they were learning to co-exist.
"Yeah. I get it."
He doesn't like that answer. Doesn't like the he contributed to the mind set that gave Steve that answer. "You're allowed to be mad at me for it."
"I think Eddie's mad enough for both of us."
It doesn't feel like closure. It doesn't feel like forgiveness, but Wayne doesn't know what to say. He can't just start sprouting all the bad things he thought about Steve; there's no reason Steve should have to listen to that. But without hearing it, Steve doesn't even know what he's forgiving Wayne for. "I'll be honest with ya, Steve. It feels like you shouldn't."
Steve frowns at him. "Why?"
Why? Why? For all the reasons Eddie yelled at him, and all the things Linda said, and all the agony he's felt these last few days. The guilt and the shame that still eat at him, even as Steve Harrington says he forgives him. "It's too easy."
Those three words have Steve leaning back against the chair. His eyes dance around Wayne's face before taking in the whole of him. Or, what Steve can see of him with from across the table. When Steve meets his eye again, Wayne sees recognition there. "If you can't forgive yourself, I get that. I do. I-I've spent most of my life as one big apology. And I'm not saying that I, like, don't still feel like- what I mean to say, is that, I forgive you. I'm not, like, gonna hold it against you that you were just trying to look out for Eddie, man. Like, two years ago your fears would have been justified, so."
"Don't make it right," Wayne argues, but he doesn't know why.
"No," Steve agrees, "but I'm forgiving you anyway. You think you're the first person to hear the name Steve Harrington and assume you know everything you need to know about me already?"
Steve's words sound like they could be confrontational, but his tone is light. Teasing? Wayne says, "no. Suppose I'm not."
"Every person I love has done that," Steve says, and the ease of which he says that has Wayne feeling some sort of way. Eddie's words echo in his mind 'you made me help him feel that way'. How many other people have made him feel like he's a bad person? "Even- even Eddie. He made a point, during spring break, to, uh, well, he didn't apologize for anything because there was nothing to apologize about, but he made a point to tell me I was very 'metal' and a 'cool dude' so.... I know my name comes with, like, a shadow or a curse or whatever. I think it will for as long as I live in Hawkins, but that's," Steve flaps his hand in the air, as if that fills in for the word he can't find, and it's a move so reminiscent of Eddie. "Anyway, if you aren't actually, like, ready to accept an apology, you shouldn't be making one."
Wayne sits in that for a moment. There's a lot more to Steve Harrington than he'd ever thought. So much he doesn't know, actually, but he thinks he's okay with learning more. This boy told Eddie he was half-way in love with him earlier this week, and while Wayne never heard Eddie say it back, he knew anyway. It's why he was so protective. "You're pretty wise for your age."
Steve grins and shakes his head. "Nah, that last part was all Robin. She says it all the time to me."
"Well, then you best stop apologizing when you ain't ready to accept the forgiveness," Wayne parrots back the words.
Steve throws his head back and laughs.
They finish their coffee with silence and small talk. Steve tells him about how he never thought he'd miss his job at the video store but working at Melvald's is making him long for the days when the biggest complaint was late fees. Apparently, there's so many more things to complain about in retail.
Wayne talks about working at the plant and how the tasks are repetitive and a bit labor intensive, but the graveyard pay is worth it. Steve asks him a few more questions about working at the plant that Wayne's happy to answer and the more Steve asks, the more Wayne becomes aware that Steve might be looking for a change of occupation. He makes a mental note to put in a good word to Floyd, just in case.
Steve leaves with the promise of returning with Eddie, as soon as possible. As he was heading to the door, Wayne asked why he showed up so early.
"Eddie can't stop me if he's not awake," was Steve's answer, a mischievous grin on his face.
Wayne watches from the porch as Steve backs out. Steve shoots him one last little wave with his fingers before heading away.
He goes back inside and washes the dishes. Even dries and puts them away, a feat usually done once a week; he and Eddie have no qualms with using dishes directly from the dish drainer. His only other chore for the day is leaving for work a bit early so he has time to stop at the gas station and fill up the truck.
Grabbing the remote from its spot on the coffee table, Wayne plops onto the couch to spend his day as mindlessly as possible with some TV.
He goes to sleep at his usual time and wakes up at 7:43pm according to his alarm clock; a little over two hours before his shift is to start. It's time for more coffee, he thinks as he dresses for work before heading to the kitchen.
He jerks to a stop when he sees Eddie and Steve sitting on the couch, leaned close and talking softly. He's not about to repeat a past mistake, so he makes his presence known. "Evenin' boys."
Eddie pops up from the couch quick as lightning, taking a few steps towards Wayne before stopping. "I don't like being mad at you."
Wayne nods, "I don't much like you bein' mad at me, either. For what it's worth, I am sorry."
Eddie closes the distance between them, then, and pulls Wayne into a tight hug. Wayne returns it instantly, how can he not? He hears Eddie say, softly, "it's worth an awful lot, you terrible old man."
They part, and Eddie speaks first, "but if you ever pull shit like this again, I won't be so quick to forgive."
"I won't," Wayne says, at the same time Steve says, "he won't."
Both Munsons look at Steve, who grins back at them.
"You think you know my uncle that well already, from one shared cup of coffee?" Eddie asks, sounding amused.
Steve shrugs, "no. I just, uh, plan to stick around, y'know. Kinda hoping there's no dude after me for him to be an angry dad about. I would appreciate it, though, Mr. Munson, if you'd skip the shovel talk bit of all this?"
Eddie sucks in a breath and Wayne's a bit shocked by what Steve's implied. What Steve's admitted, really, out loud in front of another person. Wayne wonders if any boy Eddie's ever liked before would have done that.
"What good's a shove talk when you've already told me you ain't goin' anywhere?" Wayne says, hoping his tone is as light and teasing as he wants it to be.
"Glad we're on the same page," Steve agrees, "but, uhh, do you want me to go? So you can have a real talk?"
"No," says Eddie.
"No," says Wayne, at the same time.
"Oh. Okay. Uh, in that case, you got anything to drink here besides coffee?"
Wayne nods and they all pile into the kitchen to get a beverage before settling in the living room. There will be time to talk later, Wayne realizes. He's going to apologize properly.
Later, though, when he'll really be ready to accept Eddie's forgiveness, because there's no doubt Eddie'll forgive him. So, he's going to sit in the living room and chat with his boys until he has to go to work.
By the time Friday comes around again, he'll be able to tell Linda she was right, everything's going to be okay one day, and maybe ask her on a date he's been putting off asking for since high school.
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Done!! I hope the ending is sufficiently cheesy.
I'm so sorry if I missed you! There were a lot of people asking to be tagged haha
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bigdumbbambieyes · 5 months
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tw mentioned abuse
Billy always wakes up before his boyfriend and probably always will. But, he’s not complaining — he loves waking up in Steve’s bed, tangled up in the sheets as he blinks the sleep away from his eye. As always, he immediately turns his head and spots Steve there, his face pressed into his pillow as he sleeps soundly. The rising sun peeks through the curtains, spilling across his boyfriend, highlighting his dark hair a soft brown against the blue bedding.
Shuffling over, Billy presses a quiet kiss to Steve’s shoulder before untangling himself from the sheets and getting out of bed, pulling up the shorts he borrowed from the pretty boy as he heads to the bathroom—
And runs into Mrs. Harrington, who’s wrapped up in her house coat with rollers in her hair, cup of coffee in hand.
“Oh!” She gasps, jumping and spilling some of her coffee on the floor, grasping at the fabric of her housecoat over her chest as she stares at him. After the shock quickly wears off, she’s chuckling softly and sighs, “Jesus, you scared me.”
“Sorry,” he smiles softly, glancing down at the floor where the coffee spilled, “Was just gonna use the bathroom.”
“Yeah, of course,” she hums, but makes this soft tsk sound of disappointment as she reaches up to brush a blond curl back from his forehead, where he knows the bruise from his father is. With sadness laced in her voice, she whispers, “Again?”
“It’s fine, Mrs. H,” Billy mumbles as he looks at her again, gently pulling away from her touch.
“No, it’s not,” she huffs, anger replacing that sadness as their eyes meet. Steve has her eyes. Kind, but fierce. Caring. Worried. “Oh, if I ever run into your father again, I won’t be nice like I was last time.” Before she knew what he did to Billy.
But Billy smiles again, a little more amused, because she’s 5’4’’ and could be blown away by the wind if it were too strong of a gust, but she’s got a fighting spirit. He knows where Steve got that from, now.
“I believe it,” he hums, touched by the way that Steve’s family cares and how they care about him. They don’t have to, but they do, and Billy doesn’t take it lightly or for granted.
She gives him that sorry smile and places her manicured hand on his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze, “You know you’re welcome here whenever you need it, Billy. Lord knows we have more than enough room for one more.”
“Yeah,” he chuckles softly with a nod, “And, thanks. Again.”
Another nod and she pulls her hand away, saying, “Coffee pot’s on downstairs,” before she heads down the hallway, back to her room to get ready for the day.
Looking down at the coffee spill, he lets out a soft sigh and frowns. If that had been his dad and Billy had made him spill his coffee, he’d be knocked upside the head. Or worse.
But, not here. In the Harrington house, he’s welcomed and wanted and the coffee pot is left on for him. He has a space here, whenever he wants it. And he always does.
As he’s wiping up the small spill, the door to Steve’s bedroom opens and his boyfriend looks sleepy as hell — eyes half shut, hair a mess, lines pressed into his skin from the bed. Billy stands and smiles at him, filled with warmth and affection as Steve waddles over to him and wraps his arms around him, pressing a kiss to Billy’s cheek as he mumbles, “Morn’.”
“Morning, peanut,” Billy whispers, wrapping his arm around Steve’s shoulders and pressing a kiss to his mouth, then another to his cheek.
“Coffee?” Steve whispers, pressing his nose to Billy’s cheek, his eyes shut again as he struggles to wake up. It’s annoyingly cute.
“Mhm,” Billy hums happily in agreement.
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stevesbipanic · 3 months
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@steddielovemonth Day 15: Love is letting yourself be loved @quinns-shadowy-arts
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Steve was in love with Eddie. He'd long come to terms with that. Four months after the spring break from hell, crying on the bathroom floor of Family video to Robin asking if there was something wrong with him. Now he knows liking both is ok, that he's as valid as anyone else. He's allowed to feel butterflies looking at Eddie and it doesn't make his past relationships with girls invalid.
So he knows he's in love with Eddie. He even knows Eddie is gay. But he can't tell him, because it would make Eddie sad. He'd rather keep Eddie by his side on movie nights than risk ruining their friendship. He doesn't want to give up sharing a bed after a night of smoking just because he can't keep his heart in check. He doesn't want his memory of Eddie's face ruined with one of pity rather than his favourite smile.
So he's not going to tell Eddie.
But right now Eddie is telling him.
"-since I opened my eyes in that hospital and the first face I saw was you. I'm in love with you, Steve." Eddie's eyes are big and scared, Steve doesn't want him to have that look on his face but he has to set him straight.
"Eddie..."
Eddie looks like he was going to cry, "No, Steve don't, don't reject me please, I'll just go, I'm sorry."
Steve just wants Eddie to be smiling again, he has to fix this, "No, Eddie, I'm not rejecting you I'm in love with you too, but."
Eddie's face looks caught between emotions, "But?"
"But you shouldn't be in love with me."
Now Eddie looks confused, which is better than crying, "Shouldn't? Why not?"
Steve felt a wet laugh bubble out of him, "Why not? Because I was an asshole in school, I picked on kids exactly like you, I'm selfish and mean, I'm definitely not going to be a good boyfriend, I don't even know if I can love right. I'm bullshit, Eddie."
The sad look was back on Eddie's face but Steve felt it directed at him now, Robin got the same face too sometimes, "Stevie..." The weight behind something as simple as his name breaks him. "You should love someone who can go to your shows and not get migraines, or someone that can follow your games, or someone who has a future, Eds."
Eddie doesn't answer that, he just sighs and it sounds like the weight of the world is contained in that one breath, and wraps his arms around Steve, pulling him in.
"Sweetheart, Stevie, baby, how could I not be in love with you. You who cares for everyone in his little family he's found and protected. You who asks Jeff to record our sets so you can listen to them at home, yes I know you've been doing that. You who has rebuilt himself into someone good and kind when the other path would've been easier. You, Steve Harrington, are anything but bullshit, you are impossible not to love. Any future with you is one worth having."
Steve let's his tense body slowly melt into Eddie's chest. "Even if I can't believe any of that yet?"
Eddie presses a kiss to the top of his head, "Even if it takes my whole life to convince you."
And a whole life with Eddie sounds like something he can let himself have.
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xxbottlecapx · 1 year
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"I'm in love with Steve. Of all people, it had to be Steve Harrington? " Eddie sobbed into Robin's rainbow handkerchief. He was sitting criss cross on the floor of family video. It was Steve's day off. So of course Robin couldn't get any alone time.
"Hey, I know he's like the preppiest person we know," Robin sighed as she stacked some tapes out of order, messing with Steve's System. "But he's really nice now!"
"I know!" Eddie cried louder. A woman with large heels walked into the store, saw him, and quickly turned back around. Eddie didnt even notice, flailing his arms. "But my stupid ass had to go and fall in love with someone named Steve? Steve? I might as well name my son Chad, I can't believe this-"
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oriarts · 2 months
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i just think wayne and steve need to listen to bruce springsteen early in the morning as they ride in waynes battered truck to a fishing spot and eddie waved goodbye sleepily before going and zoinking back out on the couch and steve goes to cut something and oh so casually whips out his new (to him) pocket knife and trims a lure and wayne just claps him on the shoulder and they exist in the early autumn morning, crisp air on their cheeks as the sun finally breaks above the trees, the predawn light blooming into a brilliant day
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corrodedcoughin · 1 year
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Mr Clarke coming back in s5 to help and ends up spending his time with one Mr Wayne Munson in an effort to find Eddie because if there’s no body Wayne isn’t giving up.
Hard cut to Eddie being carried back through a portal by Steve and seeing Mr Clarke together, and he whispers to Steve ‘I think Mr Clarke fucked my uncle’ and passes out
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thestobingirlie · 10 months
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steve wanting kids isn’t a character flaw!!!!! it isn’t regressive!!! and no, the party can’t replace actual children. they’re all teenagers with their own parents lmao
steve wants his own children. his own family. one that loves each other and spends time together. that isn’t a bad thing.
if you want to write about a male character having complex feelings about having children, write about jonathan.
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withacapitalp · 2 years
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Fully unformed AU here but
Steve barely got to have Eddie. He had three whirlwind days of Eddie and then just nothing. All this potential, all these maybes that are now just No
And he has no idea what to do with that. So because he can he gets his hands on some of corroded coffins old mixtapes. He may or may not have had to steal them out of Gareths garage, but what the other boy doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
Steve listens to them and he hears Eddie’s voice, and he decides he really really likes metal. He likes the heavy feeling that sits on his chest, for once not guilt or shame but just pure exhilaration.
The natural next step is to grab the guitar that sits sad and lonely in his parents closet and start messing with it. Then singing along to the recordings. Then coming up with his own lyrics.
Steve accidentally falls into being a rockstar. He doesn’t fit the aesthetic whatsoever when he starts, but some well meaning older rockers take him under their wings when he shows up to his first concert in a polo and fucking khakis. He continues going to shows, then he gets roped into being a roadie, then a stagehand, all the while writing and singing and missing a boy he never got to really know.
His first EP is a wild hit. Steve’s a perfect blend bridge between rocker and preppy jock. His story is weirdly compelling, and he’s built enough good will in the industry for a band to take his lyrics and his passion and give him a shot as their front man. Steve changes the lyrics to always be about girls, perfectly masking and blending in the way he always has. But the pronouns he uses in his first single don’t mean a thing to the Party.
A song titled ‘Eddie’ really only could be about one person.
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Dustin: don’t mess with me or I’ll get my dad!
Bully: awww is the baby gonna get his daddy??
Dustin: what? No! Dad would hate hearing you say that
Eddie: hell yeah I would! Only Steve can call me da-
Steve from the car: MUNSON I SWEAR TO GOD!!
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steddie-there · 1 year
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Eddie has a lot of nicknames for Steve - Stevie, sweetheart, big boy, baby, darlin', it seems like he adds new ones every week - and Steve adores every single one. The way Eddie beams when he says "Stevie." How he winks when he calls him "darlin'." The once over he gives Steve as he tacks on a "big boy" to whatever it is he just said that Steve can't properly process now because all he can do is stare at Eddie's lips.
But Steve's favorite?
It's the day his parents call to say they aren't coming back to Hawkins. That the house in the Hamptons is just so much more comfortable for the two of them. That they don't care what he does with the other house, the house he grew up in, the house he still lives in, as long as they don't have to deal with it. He doesn't even hear the flimsy excuses they give for leaving him behind because all it sounds like to Steve is "whatever you do, just don't bother us anymore."
He wants to scream, to smash something, to tear the entire house to pieces when he hangs up the phone. But what he does instead is lay on his bed, his arms wrapped around his knees, staring at the wallpaper he wishes he could set on fire.
Which is how Eddie finds him an hour later when he comes over for their weekly movie night.
"Stevie?" he calls, coming up the stairs, worry in his voice. Steve can hear him pause in the doorway before he comes over to the bed. Feels the mattress dip as Eddie sits next to him.
"Hey, sunshine," he says and Steve hasn't heard that one before but it doesn't really matter at the moment.
"Not feeling particularly sunny right now, Eds," he scoffs. Or tries, since his voice is a lot wobblier than he wants it to be.
Eddie doesn't say anything, just lays a gentle hand on Steve's shoulder, tugs a little to get Steve to turn toward him. He resists for half a second, but he also can't deny Eddie anything, even now, so he rolls to face him.
"Storm clouds, thunder, rain, doesn't really matter, you're still my sunshine," Eddie murmurs with a soft smile, pushing Steve's hair back from his face.
And Steve can't help it then, can't stop the sob that tears from his chest as he curls against Eddie. Eddie, who doesn't even know what happened yet, doesn't know why Steve is sobbing into his shoulder, doesn't know that Steve isn't wanted, but who wraps him up in his arms and hangs on tight anyway.
He's humming something as he rubs a hand up and down Steve's back, the vibrations rumbling into Steve's chest and its soothing and soon Steve's sobs are hiccuping breaths. Eddie doesn't let go though, doesn't move away, and now he's softly singing into Steve's ear and Steve almost wants to laugh because of course that's what he's singing. Of course he is.
But Steve doesn't laugh because it's perfect actually and so he just tucks his face against Eddie's neck and listens and breathes and decides it doesn't matter if his parents don't want him because Eddie does. Because with every note Eddie is telling him he makes him happy, that he loves him, that he doesn't ever want to lose him.
And Steve is finally able to lean back just a little, tell Eddie what happened. Sees the storm clouds roll over Eddie's face on his behalf, knows he really does mean it when he tells Steve he'll help him burn down that house in the Hamptons if he wants. Presses their foreheads together with a shaky laugh as he tells Eddie its okay, he's okay, he's going to be okay.
Eddie sighs, softly kisses his cheek. "What can I do to help?"
"Stay?" Steve asks, "Just stay with me?"
And Eddie is nodding, shifting so he can lay down and tuck Steve tight against him. They're quiet now and Steve listens to the beat of Eddie's heart, feels it pulse against the hand he has splayed across Eddie's chest. Tentatively asks, "Could you maybe keep singing? Until -"
Until what? Until he falls asleep? Until it doesn't hurt anymore? Until he really believes what Eddie was singing?
But it doesn't matter because Eddie just starts humming right where he left off and Steve falls asleep to words he can feel in the vibrations of Eddie's voice under his ear and the soothing fingertips moving up and down his arm.
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
So, yeah, sunshine is definitely Steve's favorite nickname.
You make me happy when skies are gray.
Because when he has a rotten day - he has to deal with a terrible customer or the teens are being particularly bratty or the whine of the dying vcr at work rewinding a tape sounded a little too much like a horde of demon bats shrieking across the sky -
You'll never know dear how much I love you.
Eddie takes one look at him and gives him that certain soft smile. "C'mere, sunshine," he says, laying down on the couch and pulling Steve on top of him, running gentle fingers through his hair. And he quietly sings until Steve's shoulders relax and his breath evens out and there is no place else in the world he would rather be.
Please don't take my sunshine away.
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momotonescreaming · 1 year
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We know that Steve thinks his Dad is an asshole, but he doesn’t really mention his mother other than a few off hand comments. She goes on his Dad’s business trips because she doesn’t trust him not to cheat, she’s well respected in Hawkins, and Steve used her as a reference when he applied for the job at Family Video. So I got to thinking about what if she was a good person also trapped under the pressure of Mr Harrington, just like Steve? What if Steve had a good relationship with her? And this happened
Mrs Harrington who loved her husband once, who had a husband who loved her back. She loved his ambition, his drive, his dedication. She didn’t love it when it started to turn into him spending all hours at the office, at business meetings. When it started to turn into something money hungry. But it was his job. He knew best. Right?
Mrs Harrington has a baby because she wants one. She’s always wanted to be a mother. Mr Harrington has a kid because it’s What You Do. You have a kid so they can take over your company, carry on your family legacy. Uphold the Harrington name. His reputation. A nanny can raise them when they’re little. When they're older they can follow in his footsteps. Popular, likes cars, plays basketball.
Mrs Harrington raises little Steve as much as she can. He’s a little Mama’s boy. She’ll go to the salon to get her hair done and Steve sits in the chair next to hers, driving his toy cars up and down the seat. Steve drags her outside so he can show her this “Really cool swimming trick, Mama!” and she watches him happily from the porch seats, commenting that he swims so well is he sure he’s not part fish? He’ll watch her put her make up on and get ready for a Charity Gala she’s organising. He tells her she’s beautiful, Mama and she’ll run one of her big fluffy make up brushes across his cheeks so he can be beautiful too.
Steve gets older and Mr Harrington takes over in shaping Steve’s life. He’s a man now. A Harrington. Mrs Harrington isn’t quite sure what to do. She thinks her husband might be a bit harsh but he was a teenage boy once, he must know what’s best for him. Right? He’s the man of the family. The head of the household and what he says goes. She isn’t so sure now, but it’s what her father always taught her. It’s what she always learnt in Church. She fawns under his harsh gaze and feels the guilt churning in her gut as she doesn’t know what to do. Steve starts pulling away from her, and her husband keeps flirting with his young secretaries.
It comes to a head in Steve’s senior year when she’s with her husband on a business trip in New York. Her husband’s secretary gets a call that Steve’s in the hospital after getting into a fight with another student - Billy Hargrove. Her husband brushes it off as ‘Boys will be boys’. A Harrington shouldn’t have lost. Maybe this will teach him about consequences. Did he even think about what this could have done to their reputation? He doesn’t tell his wife.
Mrs Harrington is the only one in their hotel room when the secretary calls again with an update from the hospital. She finds out that he knew that their only son was in the hospital and didn’t tell her. It’s the last straw. Her husband comes back to the hotel room smelling of expensive liquor and someone else’s perfume. They get into a screaming match and she packs her bags and calls a taxi. She calls the hospital from the airport that she’s on her way.
She gets the first plane she can and rushes straight to the hospital. The nurse at the reception desk tells her what room he’s in and she tears up as soon as she sees Steve.
“Oh my baby. I’m so sorry.”
Steve locks eyes with her and his eyes water. “Hi Mama.” His voice is quiet.
She rushes over to hug him and his teary eyes turn into violent sobs, her whispering comforting nothings to her baby boy as he cries. She came as soon as she heard, she’s so sorry, he’s okay now. She doesn’t tell him yet that she wasn’t there earlier because her husband didn’t tell her. Her wedding ring feels heavy on her finger.
When Steve is recovering at home, asleep in the other room, she rings a divorce lawyer.
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ickypuppi3 · 2 months
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it chapter two-esque scenario where they all have to meet back up because a gates opened except now the party are like mid thirties and billy and steve have to deal with this weird animosity they’ve got going on because the two of them were hooking up back in school until feelings got involved and it ended badly and billy just upped and left one day but they’re still pining for each other and steve’s divorce just got finalised and billy’s never really dealt with any of his issues and everything sucks until they kiss about it. & then maybe it gets tragic again you know how it is
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faeriecap · 10 months
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as garbage as civil war was, it really set up steves disillusionment with cap and his lack of need for the mantle, SHIELD, hell even the actual shield, leading into infinity war and endgame and that would have been the perfect time to focus on developing sams character as the new captain america for more than a three second scene instead of. groot fortnite dancing and taco bell or whatever
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Mail in Stranger Things 4
And Why I Hate Lettergate
Letters are a recurring motif throughout season 4. And if we broaden that to not just letters but MAIL, the first episode opens with a flashback beginning with a paperboy.
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This shot of the paper on the doorstep is the very first shot we get of Brenner as he steps out to grab it. Then once he has the paper, he doesn't read it, he does the crossword. What this tells me is that the mail isn't to be purely read. It's to be solved.
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The first scene after the flashback in our current time is Mike reading El's letter to him, A) reiterating the significance of mail and B) reiterating the dishonesty of it by visually showing us that the letter is false while it is being read. Joyce gets her Russian package. Inside the package is a doll, inside the doll is a letter (kinda like the Russian nesting doll of mail, eh?) Jonathan has a college acceptance letter. El is hoarding her letters from Mike. There's the letter she writes him when she leaves. We have Max's letters. Letters galore.
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Depending on how you look at it, the flowers and the painting could also be considered mail despite the fact that they were delivered in person.
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Aaaand there's the good ole envelope pocket symbolism.
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Generally what we've seen so far from mail is that it sucks. It's dishonest and misleading and like the newspaper at the very start of the season, needs to be deciphered rather than simply read and taken at face value. El's letter was at least partially a lie. Jonathan's letter is a truth that he is withholding. Mike's letters are accidentally revealing a hidden truth about him. Joyce's letter is true, but it's used against her to set her up. And if you consider the flowers and the painting, they are both visually revealing the truth (the 70/30 split and the heart shield) while being presented in a way that tries to hide it. None of this mail is 100% false and none of it is 100% honest (with the exception of Jonathan's, but he's lying about it and it is also not FROM him. It's TO him from an external source). It ALL has to be examined.
Max wrote 8 letters. We only heard what was in one of them. Going into season 5, we have those other 7 letters and Jonathan's letter still left to be addressed (and Will's painting recontextualized). And we have no idea if we'll ever hear what's in any of Max's other letters.
You've Got Mail was on the ST4 inspo board, and I know people have called out the Mike/Will/painting situation as where this is reflected. But I think it can also extend to Max. While the plot of You've Got Mail is an utterly ridiculous, corny romcom, the premise can be boiled down to people who can't be bothered to try to establish relationships in the real world developing one through email because they feel safer with that barrier between them. Max is the same way throughout this season. She opts to write letters to her friends instead of talking to them because it's easier for her to express her emotions with an artificial self-imposed distance between her and the recipients.
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Mail is being portrayed as both a complex, layered thing that needs to be deciphered and a boundary. I actually hate the idea of lettergate for this exact reason. We've been shown throughout the season and particularly in the scene I GIFed above that letters are unnecessary complications. The idea that Will is going to find out about a letter/letters Mike wrote him while he was in Lenora and that this will be some emotional, revealing scene frankly goes against everything we've been shown about letters up to this point.
If Will read a letter Mike wrote him, it would probably have to give him the wrong idea in order to be thematically consistent. And Mike writing El letters but not Will and then spending the season having in-person heart-to-hearts with Will actually emphasizes that they are closer because this barrier does not exist between them. They spent the season growing closer to one another after the discomfort caused by distance and lack of communication only for Will to put up a barrier with the painting. Lettergate seems like it would be very much the same thing rather than a revelation. Season 4 spent its time telling us that if you want to really get a message across, use your words. With your mouth. IRL.
I want to quickly mention Hopper's letter from the season 3 finale, because it was very emotional and honest. It was also never intended to be given to El. It was meant to be read to her, delivered in person as a speech. This was sort of the opposite of all the other letters we've seen, as it was meant to break down a barrier rather than build one. And I think the fact that it wasn't supposed to be a letter at all is really important.
I know Max said her letters weren't to be read until she was gone, but I'm super curious about what she wrote in them. My ideal vision of how this plays out is that no one ever reads them and she tells everyone what she wrote when she wakes up, finally accepting what Lucas has been telling her: that her friends are right there and they don't NEED letters!
Starting a motion to BANISH LETTERS FROM SEASON FIVE!!!! That is all.
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findafight · 1 year
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Okay I love the daemon aus floating about and whilst I have no formal knowledge on the subject, I think there's a lot of potential for Steve's Daemon to be a lion.
And how it would contribute to what people view him as. Lions are creatures we know, familiar but exotic to Indiana. Steve walks around the halls with nearly five hundred pounds of muscular lion beside him, full mane brushing his fingers. King of the Jungle... King Steve. Steve "The Hair". He's a predator, he's dangerous, he's just like his daemon.
But they're also a communal species that live in prides. They take care of each other, need each other. That's also Steve. He's not subtle and doesn't try to be with his affection. Lions do the cat forehead bumps and social licking too and I think that's so sweet.
listen I'm just blasting off ideas I just thing Steve the hair harrington with a daemon with iconic mane and that's capable of ripping out an antelope's throat is something that could be explored idk
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bylertruther · 2 years
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"will shouldn't use a gun in season five because his father probably taught him how to use one and that could be a bad reminder for him" have you considered that will using what was very likely a Bad experience to save his life in what is undoubtedly an even worse experience could be a good thing? have you considered that him using a skill he was forced to learn to save not only himself but (as is likely more important and meaningful to him) the lives of others could give him a sense of usefulness and safety knowing that he isn't defenseless and can stand his and others' ground if need be? especially considering that's a skill that we've only seen hopper and nancy possess, making it that much more valuable and himself more helpful to the group? after everything in s1 and s2, he's probably felt guilty for having endangered them and dozens of other people multiple times, i don't think it'd be out there for him to feel "happy" that he can finally return the favor and protect them for once (especially after having complained about being babied and treated like a doll).
"will doesn't have and shouldn't have powers because that makes him different and he doesn't want to be different" not only are you wrong lol <3 but how have you not noticed that will's entire thing since the very beginning is that he is different and he knows it and while he does get his heart broken over the fact that this means he faces constant unfairness in life, he still refuses to be any other way? will doesn't conform nor does he ever try to even when others try to force or shame him to. he gets frustrated and upset at being treated differently, yes, but he stays true to himself. to battle that feeling he sometimes gets that tells him he's a mistake, a feeling he gets not from his own otherness but from living in a world that Makes it an otherness and thus isolates him for it, he seeks out that which he loves and enjoys and throws himself wholeheartedly at it. will lives his truth and is willing to suffer the consequences for it. he refuses to live in darkness and let it take a hold of him. he holds on to hope and all that makes him feel better for being different. he holds on to art, to dnd, to video games, to his family and his friends, and everything that brings him joy and reminds him that it's okay to be different. in s1 joyce defends will ("he's missing is what he is") and jonathan tells him he shouldn't like things that other people (namely their homophobic dad) try to force him to like, that he should like what he genuinely likes. in s2 jonathan gives will the freak speech and tells him that no one normal ever accomplished anything and mentions bowie. in s3, he doesn't get a speech, (though joyce does tell him that when he falls in love he won't find it gross [avoiding the word girlfriend and leaving it neutral]) but he does face backlash from someone that IS trying to conform and IS shaming will for not letting go of "childish" things aka his interests, what's important to him, and what he wants. does will back down or shy away in shame? no. instead, he lets mike sit in his shame for having said something that hurtful, and he says "yeah. i guess i did. i really did." clearly this is a conversation about what makes will different aka his sexuality bc he goes and destroys castle byers (the safe place he and his brother built once their homophobic dad left which is a place will can be himself unapologetically) with what is likely a bat that lonnie gave him when trying to get him into baseball. he calls himself stupid and donates his dnd books, but i don't see this as an act of conformity (he tells mike as much, suggesting he'll just use his books + if he was ashamed he wouldn't have painted the party as their dnd characters and given it to him of all people lol). he felt stupid because he thought they'd always be crazy together, that they were of the same mind and heart still, and that they had the same brand of "otherness" if you catch my drift. then in s4 we get jonathan's tender "you're my brother and there is nothing absolutely nothing that will ever change that" which is the most direct anyone has ever been about that which makes will different. and he doesn't shy away from it! he doesn't deny it, because we can see from his confession and how he breaks down that he's desperately been wanting and needing to hear that. he accepts that love and allows himself to be held and seen by someone else, as he has every other time. because will doesn't hate being different, he just hates that he has to live in a world where that's seen as wrong and thus makes him feel like he doesn't belong because of it. but he doesn't change himself. he doesn't feel ashamed of it. he doesn't see it as a flaw in himself or others and he never has. will is different and he knows it and he wouldn't have it any other way.
will's story since the beginning has been about being different and going through awful things, and managing to not only find the light in it but also make it out stronger because of it all. it's always been about using what makes him different as a good thing and as something he uses to save himself and others.
will being good with a gun bought him time with whatever kidnapped him. will knowing how to run and hide kept him alive in the upside down. will acted as a spy while possessed and managed not only to save hopper but also tell them how to finish this. will's experiences and senses helped them figure out what was happening in season three. will's love and loyalty inspires mike and manages to bring him to a better place even if just for a moment in the van, and again he's the one that knows vecna's current state, aaaand had he been in hawkins at the time it likely would've gone a lot better because as dustin said "we need will".
taking something awful and turning it into a good thing and a source of strength is a wonderful trope. it's inspiring and empowering not only for the character but for those that could use that hope and reminder that there's always a silver lining, that life isn't all darkness and shadows and hurt. not only that, but it's something that they've literally always done for will since the very beginning. he is the prime character for that. his entire message has always been that it's okay to be different and that you can find strength and peace in that; that the things that make you different aren't a detriment, they're precisely what make you strong. like... i'm sorry, but have you not been paying attention at all whatsoever this entire time or... :/
#some of u heard 'sometimes it makes you feel like a mistake' and just forgot every other season ever it seems like#but idk maybe IM the outlier here lmao#characters like mike steve and eleven i can see the conformity argument for#BUT WILL?!?!?!?#will who has always drawn and listened to his music and wanted to hang out with his friends and play dnd and who#gets made fun of for so many things even by those that mean the world to him but has never ONCE tried to change#anything about who he is over that..... THAT'S who you think thinks being different is a bad thing!?!?!#will who has never lied about being a loner or what he likes or what he wants in life or has dressed like other people want him to#will who specifically has received multiple It's Okay To Be Different speeches and came out of them believing them is the character#that you think hates being different? will who loves mike's nerdy self and thinks the absolute world of him and TELLS HIM AS MUCH AND#CONFESSES HIS GAY LOVE TO DESPITE THE SUMMER OF HOMOPHOBIA AND THE AIRPORT FIASCO AND THAT DREW A#FUCKING HEART ON HIS SHIELD UNABASHEDLY AND CONFESSED IN FRONT OF TWO OTHER PEOPLE TOO ON TOP OF THAT#IN THE EIGHTIES!!!!!!! TO MIKE!!!! WHO COULDNT TOUCH HIM AND HAS A CONSERVATIVE FAMILY AND DIDNT TALK TO HIM FOR A YEAR#IS WHO YOU THINK HATES BEING DIFFERENT . HELLO#literally everything that he goes through is turned into something 'good' because that's the POINT!!!!#HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE NORMAL!!! HE IS NOT THE CHARACTER U SHOULD BE MAKING THOSE ARGUMENTS FOR LMAO#jus say u don't want him to have powers bro don't be lying on my blorbito's name like that 😭😭😭😭😭#anyway. crazed frenzy is over im normal now <3#u kno how the long and all too passionate bordering on Is This Bitch Okay mobile posts go#back to being offline now byeeeee 🏃‍♀️
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